News bites: Apple gets greener, climate talks inch ahead, and more

Reuters reports that tech giant Apple plans to completely power its main U.S. data center with renewable energy by the end of the year.

The decision is meant to “address longstanding environmental concerns about the rapid expansion of high-consuming computer server farms,” the story states.

AFP has the latest on international talks aimed at crafting a global climate pact by 2015.

The Houston Chronicle has an in-depth analysis of the cash crunch facing troubled natural-gas giant Chesapeake Energy.

Dow Jones reports that China’s renewable energy industry association is bashing the U.S. Commerce Department's decision to impose anti-dumping duties on Chinese solar panel makers.

The Associated Press reports that Vermont has become the first state to ban hydraulic fracturing, but it’s a largely political blow to “fracking,” rather than a substantive one.

“The ban may be largely symbolic, though, because there is believed to be little to no natural gas or oil beneath the surface in Vermont,” the news service reports.